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The Tennessee Vols are hoping to take advantage of some recruiting drama involving Shane Beamer and the South Carolina Gamecocks

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Zach Ragan | Last updated Jan 23, 2025 4:43 PM ET

The Tennessee Vols are looking to take advantage of some recruiting drama involving Shane Beamer and the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Earlier this week, 2026 four-star linebacker Rodney Colton Jr decommitted from South Carolina.

Colton had been committed to the Gamecocks since late April.

Interestingly, 247Sports' Hal McGanahan of the Big Spur reported this week that South Carolina moved on from Colton because they felt like he was treating his commitment to the Gamecocks as a "placeholder".

"The staff is dropping Rodney Colton Jr. He's no longer considered a South Carolina commitment," reported McGanahan. "The feeling is that he's been treating the commitment as a place holder, so they're moving on. They will not continue to recruit him either. The recruiting process between the two sides is finished."

Colton, 6-foot-1/220 lbs from Newnan, GA, is rated in 247Sports' composite rankings as the No. 11 linebacker in the nation and the No. 21 player in the state of Georgia. He's also rated as the No. 161 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class.

According to multiple reports, Colton will visit Tennessee this weekend.

Top247 linebacker ready to visit #Vols again after decommitting from South Carolinahttps://t.co/3I0g0Vkw10
— GoVols247 (@GoVols247) January 23, 2025

According to 247Sports, Colton visited Tennessee three times during the 2024 season (for wins against Florida, Alabama, and Kentucky).

We obviously don't know the full extent of what happened between South Carolina and Colton, though I think it's safe to say that the Gamecocks were happy to receive a commitment from him back in April. Colton is obviously a talented player that could help a number of SEC schools.

For whatever reason, it just didn't work out between Colton and South Carolina (that's just how it goes in recruiting sometimes).

And now the Volunteers will hope to take advantage of South Carolina's misfortune.

Florida State, Ole Miss, and Penn State are also in the mix for Colton.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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